The Uttar Pradesh Government on Wednesday presented what may be the biggest Budget in the history of Uttar Pradesh at ₹6.90 lakh crore, with a focus on infrastructure, youths, farmers and the elderly. The government claimed the Budget was a “significant step”, aimed at building a “self-reliant Uttar Pradesh” on the lines of “self-reliant India”, and added it would work as a milestone in reaching the target of a $1 trillion economy within the next five years.
Among the major announcements made by the State’s Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, who presented the Budget, was an investment target of ₹10 lakh crore and the creation of 20 thousand jobs in the coming five years under the new Uttar Pradesh Tourism Policy 2022. The government allocated an additional ₹7,248 crore for farmers and the old age pension scheme, and ₹1,120 crore for Divyang Pension Yojana. The U.P. Government made a provision of ₹12,631 crore for various programmes under the National Rural Health Mission (NHRC).
While giving an infrastructural push, the State government announced that 16 domestic and five international airports will be functional in U.P., and made allocation of ₹21,159 crore for the development of bridges and roads, and an additional ₹6,209 crore for the maintenance of existing ones. An allocated ₹585 crore in the Budget 2023-24 has been made for Kanpur Metro project and ₹465 crore for the Agra Metro Project, while ₹235 crore has been allocated for two new link Expressways, that is, Chitrakoot Link Expressway and Jhansi Link Expressway.
In the Budget, a provision of ₹3,600 crore has been made under the Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Scheme to offer tablets and smartphones to the youth, while an allocation of ₹4,032 crore has been made for destitute widows, and ₹1,050 crore under the CM Kanya Sumangala Yojana. Also, ₹600 crore has been provisioned for the Samuhik Vivah Scheme for the marriage of girls of all classes. In the other major allocations, the State announced ₹25,350 crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Addressing a press conference after the presentation of the budget Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed it as a ‘significant’ step, aimed at building a self-reliant Uttar Pradesh on the lines of ‘self-reliant India’ and added the budget 2023-2024 will work as a milestone in reaching the target of $ one trillion economy within the next five years. “U.P. is following the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the last six years and focusing on inclusive, speedy and all around development of the state,” said Mr. Adityanath.
The CM added that out of the total of 130 promises made in the manifesto before the Vidhan Sabha polls 2022, 110 promises have been included in the 2023-24 Budget. “In the year 2017-18, the total exports in U.P. were only between ₹86,000-₹88,000 crore. Today, it is going to increase to around ₹1.60 lakh crore, [and] compared to 2016-17, the Budget is double. In 2016-17, the size of the Budget was [₹]3.40 lakh crore, now it’s [₹]6.90 lakh crore. In the period we have not imposed any new tax on the public,” Mr. Adityanath added.
Amid the claims of the U.P. Government, the opposition termed the Budget a “directionless” and failing on all fronts. “The Budget 2023-24 has no solution for the current problems and no future roadmap for the State. It has disappointed each and every section of the State, including youths, farmers and women,” Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Leader of the Opposition in the U.P. Assembly said.
Many SP MLAs, including Mr. Yadav, attended the Budget presentation in black sherwanis, which was seen as a mark of protest against what they allege as the U.P. Government’s “injustice against SP party leader Azam Khan”. “U.P. Government is talking about making the State a $1 trillion economy but should explain with the existing growth rate of the State, is it possible?” Mr. Yadav added.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati called Budget a “vadon ka pitara” (a bunch of promises) for the upcoming Parliamentary polls. “Will this unrealistic Budget satisfy the interests of people or is its caring for their welfare? Will it fulfill the claim of the State becoming India’s growth engine? Debt-ridden Uttar Pradesh needs an employment-oriented Budget, not an illusionary one,” Ms. Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi. The former four-time Chief Minister went on to allege the Budget was a “betrayal” for about 24 crore people of the State.
“In view of the much-publicised announcements, promises and claims of the BJP government, the Budget is a betrayal ofr roughly 24 crore people who are suffering from inflation,” she added.
